Eastern State Penitentiary's post-closure decay

Eastern State Penitentiary, designed by John Haviland and opened in 1829, operated as a prison until its closure in 1971. After closing it was left vacant and fell into a ruin-like state, with decaying cellblocks and a deteriorating central rotunda that became widely photographed. The penitentiary is a National Historic Landmark and its period of abandonment is well documented before it was later stabilized and opened as a historic site and museum.